That’s the story of Genesis Rodriguez, a 25-year-old on the acting fast track thanks to roles in
the
telenovelasPrisionera (2004) and
Dame Chocolate (2006-07) and the TV series
Entourage (2010-11).

She also appeared in last year’s
Casa de Mi Padre, which cast her as the love interest of Will Ferrell’s character, and in
What To Expect When You’re Expecting.

“My mother tried to convince me for so many years, ‘Why couldn’t you have done something with
your life?’ or ‘Why couldn’t you have been a doctor or a lawyer?’ ”says the Miami-born Rodriguez,
laughing. “I certainly had the grades. I was very book-smart, but I had the acting bug.

“It wasn’t anything that I had planned,” she admits. “I wanted to be an engineer. I think I
would have been good at that, but something happened, which is that I took an acting class.”

Rodriguez’ latest project is
The Last Stand, opening Friday, an action movie that heralds the return of Arnold
Schwarzenegger to stardom. Schwarzenegger plays a small-town sheriff who must pull out the big guns
when a notorious drug kingpin (Eduardo Noriega) barrels toward his town. Rodriguez co-stars as FBI
Agent Ellen Richards.

“She’s somewhat on the opposing team of the good guys,” the actress says, speaking by phone from
her Los Angeles home. “You don’t know, really, if she’s good or bad. She’s an antagonist in the
film, and it was kind of exciting, because all of the action is sprung by what my character
does."

In addition to Schwarzenegger, Noriega and Rodriguez,
The Last Stand also features Luis Guzman, Johnny Knoxville, Rodrigo Santoro, Harry Dean
Stanton, Peter Stormare and Forest Whitaker.

“You’ve got to be able to hang with the guys, for sure, to be around all of that testosterone,”
Rodriguez says. “But, for the most part, guys are much easier than girls, so it was really
easy."

The main man, of course, is Schwarzenegger, making his first appearance in a starring movie role
after a decade off to serve as governor of California.

“Arnold has someone at all times whom he works with, doing his stunts — very nice guy,”
Rodriguez says. “He has his publicist. Arnold has a crew of people, and they couldn’t be nicer, and
he’s just really easygoing. There were no diva-isms. He’s a very humble guy, and it was incredible
that he kept it so real.”

Beyond
The Last Stand, Rodriguez has wrapped production on the films
Hours and
Identity Thief. The former is an indie drama awaiting distribution and the latter is a
studio comedy set to open next month.

If all three films register with audiences, their success could propel Rodriguez to stardom. The
young actress acknowledges that she is aware of the possibility but prefers to focus exclusively on
the work and the opportunities that might lie ahead.

“I couldn’t be more grateful for where I stand, and I can only hope to continue working,” she
says. “I’ve just done an action movie, a drama and a comedy, and I keep getting to do different
things and show different facets of myself.”